Checked-in baggage

Find the number, weight and size of bags that are included in each type of Air New Zealand fare and easy ways to pay for more. Get baggage allowance information for connecting flights and journeys with more than one airline.

Total linear dimensions (A + B + C) can be up to 158cm (62")

If you’ve already booked your flight directly with Air New Zealand, your baggage allowance is on your e-ticket.

Below you can find the number, weight, and size of bags that are included in each type of Air New Zealand fare and easy ways to pay for more. We also offer generous allowances for personal equipment related to infants, children, sports, medical and mobility needs.

If your journey includes flights with other airlines, the Air New Zealand baggage allowance may not apply. To learn more, check the section below about baggage allowances for journeys with more than one carrier.

Number of bags included in our fares

Each of our fares, apart from Seat, includes a checked-in baggage allowance. If you want to take more, you can purchase a Prepaid Extra Bag as part of your booking or any time before your day of travel. The maximum number is three bags per person, including any Prepaid Extra Bags or frequent flyer membership extras1.

On our domestic flights, the Seat + Bag, Flexi Time and Smart Saver fares include one checked-in bag; Flexi Plus fares include two

On our international flights, Seat + Bag, The Works2 and Economy fares include one checked-in bag, Works Deluxe and Premium Economy fares include two, and Business Premier™ and Business fares include three

If you're connecting to or from a domestic flight as part of a single-ticketed international journey, your international checked-in baggage allowance also applies for the domestic flight

Koru members can add an extra bag for no charge to the standard allowance for their fare (not a family member's fare), except for Business and Seat fares. See Koru benefits for more details

1 Airpoints™ Gold, Elite, and Star Alliance Gold members can add an extra bag for no charge to the standard allowance for their fare (not a family member's fare), where the ticketed itinerary has two or more Star Alliance airlines, except for Seat fares.

2 For The Works fares to Honolulu the baggage allowance is two checked bags.

Weight of each checked-in bag

The maximum weight of any checked-in bag included in your fare is 23kg (50lb). By paying an excess baggage charge at the airport you can extend this to 32kg (70lb) if there is space on the aircraft, but it's usually cheaper and more certain to purchase a Prepaid Extra Bag. Bags over 32kg cannot be accepted and will need to be repacked.

Checked-in bag size

The size of a bag is calculated by measuring its length, width and height, then adding the three measurements together. The total for each checked-in bag allowance is up to 158cm (62 inches). You may be able to check in a larger bag by paying an oversize charge at the airport, if it's within oversized limits and there is space on the aircraft. Your other option is to repack into two bags that are within the size limits and purchase a Prepaid Extra Bag. To learn more see overweight, oversized and sporting items.

Smart baggage

Increasing innovation by baggage manufacturers is seeing technologies being integrated into baggage which poses a safety hazard to airlines, as they contain lithium batteries, motors, power banks, GPS, GSM, Bluetooth, RFID or Wi-Fi technology. These products are commonly referred to as 'Smart' Baggage.

Smart Baggage powered by lithium batteries may be carried as cabin baggage on Air New Zealand operated services, provided the baggage complies with existing cabin baggage size and weight limitations and the power rating of the batteries is less than 100Wh. See travelling with lithium batteries.

Smart Baggage may only be accepted as checked-in baggage if the batteries are removed and carried in the cabin with the passenger.

Note: Due to overhead storage limitations, bluesmart baggage is unable to be accommodated in the cabin of Air New Zealand Regional (turbo-prop) aircraft.

Checking in sporting equipment, such as a surfboard, bike or skis

Baggage allowance for child fares and infant fares

Our child fares include the same baggage allowance as adult fares for each fare type. Our infant fares don't come with a checked-in baggage allowance, but do include one piece of carry-on baggage.

Both our child and infant fares also include an allowance for up to two pieces of equipment from the following list; strollers (including buggies), portacots and car seats (including booster seats). Read more about flying with children.

Travelling with pets

Air New Zealand allows domestic pets - cats and dogs (excluding any transported for profit, e.g. racing greyhounds) and small caged birds to travel as checked in baggage on all domestic services. Learn more about travelling with pets.

Items we determine are unsuitable for carriage because of their weight, size, shape or character (including items outside the permitted baggage allowance dimensions specified in article 8.1 of our conditions of carriage)

Any item for carriage if it is insufficiently packaged to withstand the usual circumstances and effects of carriage by air may not be accepted. Plastic bags may be available for purchase at the Airport if required

Connecting flights and checked-in baggage

If your Air New Zealand flight connects with another Air New Zealand flight on the same ticket or we have a baggage transfer agreement with the other airline, your baggage may be checked in to your final destination. This combines the flights into a single checked-in baggage journey.

However when entering a country and then connecting to another flight you may still be required to collect your baggage at the first port of entry and once you have cleared customs recheck your baggage at a transfer or check-in desk, even if your bag has already been checked through to your final destination.

When connecting between one checked-in journey and the next, you will need to collect your baggage and check it in for the next flight. The baggage allowances for that part of your journey will then apply.

TIPS:

Always check the destination printed on your baggage tag; that's where your bag has been checked through to

If you're connecting from another airline to an Air New Zealand flight on separate tickets, please contact the other airline to find out if your baggage can be checked through to our flight

Baggage allowance for journeys with more than one carrier

Carrier is another word for airline. The operating carrier is the airline that is operating the flight. The marketing carrier is the airline that marketed or sold the flight and whose flight number is on the ticket. For codeshare flights your marketing carrier may not be the operating carrier.

If you have already booked your flights directly with Air New Zealand, your electronic ticket will show your checked baggage allowance and which carrier's allowances and charges apply.

If your journey includes more than one ticket, the baggage rules for each ticket will apply separately and they may be different. In this case, you may want to consider packing to the lowest allowance to avoid excess baggage charges.

If you are travelling on a single ticket that includes more than one carrier for a checked-in baggage journey, the allowance rules and any excess baggage charges of the most significant carrier (MSC) will apply.

There are two exceptions to the MSC rule:

Starting or ending in the USA or Canada: If your single-ticketed journey starts or ends in the USA or Canada (this does not include journeys that only pass through the USA or Canada), the 'first marketing carrier' decides the allowance and charges that will apply for the entire journey. They can apply their airline's rules or those of the 'most significant carrier'. Where Air New Zealand is the 'first marketing carrier' we always apply the most significant carrier's rules, which may not be our own. For return trips, if you travel in a different class or have different fare products in each direction (such as Business Premier one way and Economy the other or Seat and Seat + Bag), the same carrier's rules apply but the allowances may differ as they will be based on the applicable fare types and classes of travel purchased in each direction

Starting in Brazil: For international travel that starts in Brazil, local regulations require all passengers to be given an allowance of two pieces of luggage up to 32kg (70lb) each for the entire ticketed journey, regardless of stopovers